KFW 55 in semi-heated basement - cold basement

Good evening,

On Monday I have a meeting with the managing director/owner of the construction company. I hope to clear up all misunderstandings, disagreements, and other problems there.

Good!

I don’t have a good feeling about it because I’m going there as a layperson. He can tell me a lot.......

You don’t have to sign anything at the appointment. Listen to everything and then discuss it with one of your experts who has already worked for you. That should help you to classify what was said.

Rhenish greetings from the road
Construction expert

Hello everyone.
Had a conversation with the house construction company today. Allegedly, it is not necessarily required to install underfloor heating in the remaining basement rooms, but the rooms should - especially if there is an inspection - I should be able to prove that I heat these rooms, for example with electric radiators.
The house construction company pointed me to the additional heating with underfloor heating to "cover themselves." Not that I then come to the expert and complain that, for example, with radiator heating the temperature - for example in the corners of the basement room - is colder than where the radiator is located. At least that's how I understood it.
Where I am still not sure about is the warranty if 2 rooms are heated and 2 remain unheated.
The heating load calculation will only be done once the execution planning is approved - in order to then determine the size of the geothermal heat pump.

Hi, somehow I still don’t understand how they intend to achieve KFW 55? And that has been promised... Someone must have already done some calculations regarding the Energy Saving Ordinance classification and there must be results by now, otherwise the whole discussion makes no sense. Actually, in your place, I would have expected the gentleman to present you the following calculations:

[*]Energy Saving Ordinance with completely unheated basement (as it apparently states in the contract)
[*]Energy Saving Ordinance with half the basement with underfloor heating, the other basement cold,

[*]Energy Saving Ordinance with half the basement with underfloor heating, the other basement with electric radiators
[*]Energy Saving Ordinance with the entire basement with underfloor heating.

If two rooms in the calculation are heated with electric radiators, that will pretty much ruin the calculation, won’t it? (Aside from the fact that those things would never be allowed in my house...)

If I have understood the discussion correctly, the KFW 55 commitment is undisputed. He now has to achieve it, no matter how he does it. If he has to install a bigger heating system for it, you’re in on it too. But he has to present a concept first on how it works technically!

Best regards,

Andreas

If I have understood the discussion correctly, the KFW 55 commitment is undisputed. He now has to achieve it, no matter how he does it.

If I have understood the last point in #6 correctly, then the contractor has only agreed that if he does not achieve KfW 55, the client can withdraw from the contract.

Hi,

first of all, I read this:

The company ..... delivers and constructs a KfW-55 standard Energy Saving Ordinance 2015* solid house
with the designation „...... V4“ (with basement) at a total purchase price including VAT at the
statutory rate 355,715.00 EURO * with heat pump, required insulation package and controlled ventilation with heat recovery

Energy standard
The concept of the building materials and technical equipment documented in this service description is sufficient to achieve the energy standard according to KfW 55 standard Energy Saving Ordinance 2015.
If this is not the case, the client can withdraw from the contract.

So they have to deliver a KfW 55 house! But it is indeed interesting how the second paragraph should be legally assessed.
It says the client _can_ withdraw if KfW 55 is not achieved (which is actually absurd, because the KfW 55 standard was clearly promised beforehand, but that’s beside the point). But he does not have to.

One can interpret this in two ways:

[*]The company has created a nice little loophole here to avoid delivering what was promised before. Most customers will probably stay on board because they simply don’t feel like looking for a new general contractor.
[*]The company has really shot itself in the foot here, because if option 1 was intended, all choices now lie with the customer. The client can withdraw and thus get out of the contract for free or he can say: “Nah, I don’t want to withdraw, I want my KfW 55 house or I want a price reduction.”

Which of the two options applies can only be judged by a lawyer.

Therefore, I can only repeat my advice to get legal advice. Yes, that will cost 200-300 €, but then you have a completely different negotiating position.

And be sure, if the company is like this and is already playing games with you now to drive the price up and they realize they can easily get away with it with you, this will not be the last time!

Best regards,

Andreas

I believe that the 1st applies, but I am just speculating like you...